X is paving the way for a more curated and exclusive user experience in its Communities, echoing a feature widely recognized from Facebook Groups – mandatory member screening questions.
This latest feature equips private Community admins on X with the capability to enforce potential members to address a query as a prerequisite for joining, in tandem with adhering to the group's designated rules. Such a feature promises to empower admins in filtering out potential spammers, bots, or users with disruptive intent.
Besides, this move could potentially elevate the exclusivity of some Communities on X, where entry becomes a matter of discretion based on applicants' responses. However, this could also inadvertently give rise to groups that barely comply with X's terms, potentially evading vigilance by excluding members who could report controversial content.
It's pertinent to point out the stark contrasts with Facebook Groups, where the question feature is more comprehensive. Facebook admins possess the flexibility to design a set of questions and require rule acknowledgment. Some even test users' knowledge on the rules to ensure due diligence.
Despite its clear parallels with Facebook Groups, X's Communities is exclusive in its creation rights. X bestows only its Premium, "verified" users with the privilege to construct a Community. Nevertheless, any X user can become a member. The differential access has culminated in the birth of vast Communities like Apple (52,500 members), Tech Twitter (29,500 members), The Design Sphere (117,000 members), and Movie Twitter (119,600 members), among others.
Communities have managed to retain their presence amidst the sweeping changes introduced under Elon Musk's aegis. Post his acquisition of Twitter/X, a slew of features was eliminated, including the Revue newsletter platform, ad-free news articles, third-party client support, and the private Circle feature.
Today's Communities seem like a budding feature within X's bustling timeline, rendering a more tranquil space for theme-centric posts. The road ahead for this feature in the broader vision of X remains to be seen.
